The invention relates to the field of golf and more specifically to a portable device for practicing putting.
A golfer uses his putter more than any other club in his golf bag when playing a round of golf. In many instances between 30 to 40 percent of a golfer strokes are with his putter. It is therefore important for a golfer to improve his putting skill as much as possible. One of the major errors committed by a golfer in the putting stroke is failure to keep the face of the putter perpendicular to the line of travel of the putter throughout their entire stroke.
Many practice devices have been designed and marketed to improve a person's putting stroke. The Brandell U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,139 has an elongated carpet runner whose rear end is positioned in a box carton having a golf ball receptacle.
The Jeffery U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,084 is directed to a combination putting and chipping device. It has a carpet that is mounted on a roller in its receptacle that can be pulled out to any desired length through an aperture in the bottom of a receptacle. The carpet also has linear dimensions marked on its top surface.
The Ren U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,888 is directed to a golf putting device that has a plurality of panels that can be placed end to end and a one-piece flexible carpet secured thereover. These panels can be folded on each other to form a compact storage configuration. The different panels have different point values on them to allow different players to pit their putting skills against each other.
The Buenzle U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,136 is directed to a practice putting device having an elongated playing mat of flexible resilient material and having a golf ball cup mounted adjacent its opposite ends.
The Scott U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,055 discloses a golf shot practice stage comprising a frame having side panels which define "green" and "fairway" playing surfaces. The panels can be positioned at different angles to the horizontal, to enable practice with different ball lies. This structure is foldable into a compact form for storage.
The Carolan U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,391 is directed to a portable putting device. It has obstacle placement segments such as those used in miniature golf. When the device is not in use it can be disassembled and packed into a compact container.
The Mull U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,670 is directed to a putting stroke developer. The target element has a base surface that rests on a putting surface as well as having a vertically oriented accurately curved, relatively hard golf ball rebounding surface designed to produce a rebound that will indicate the accuracy of the line and force of a putt relative to the likelihood that the putt would have successfully landed within a regulation golf hole.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel portable practice putting device that has been designed to help a golfer learn to make a putting stroke that maintains the face of the putter perpendicular to the line of travel of the putter during the critical stages of the stroke.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel portable practice putting device that is compact enough that it can be carried in a briefcase or suitcase when traveling.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel portable practice putting device that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel portable practice putting device that simulates the surface of the green of a golf course.